New generation of wild geese flock to festival

Representing a city or county on TV is difficult enough.

But being the de facto poster child for an entire generation is a different stress level entirely.

Tonight, Perth Rose Lorna Gallagher will take the stage as one of the first recent Irish emigrants to return to Ireland under the festival’s banner.

The 27-year-old Mayo-born nurse left our shores in Oct 2009 for a trip around South-East Asia after finishing her studies at Dublin City University.

And in the three years that have followed, she has set up a new life on the other side of the planet, finding love, work, and some long-overdue sunshine.

Lorna says the sometimes outdated image of the festival is vital to emigrants wanting to stay in touch with their roots.

“I was one of those little girls who was always glued to the Rose of Tralee as a child, and Tralee has brought me and my family together. My sister got married last Sept and I was back for that, but if anything there’s more people here for this than there was last year.”

Darwin rose Sheila McAndrew, who performed last night, left Ireland two years ago.

Rose of Tralee organisers are planning a “gathering” of all former roses next year. And with no end to the recession in sight, it seems likely an increasingly number of emigrants will be those returning in the years to come, making the connections made at the annual event more important than ever.